In an interview with ET Now, Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises, gives his take on the unexpected turn of events at the Tata Group.

Harsh Goenka: The Tatas run their business somewhat federally and it is not very easy for people to come in without clear command and control which is not available in the Tata Group. Therefore, I see it very difficult for them to attract in a short period somebody who is a global manager or even somebody from within India who can understand the complexity of the Tata Group. I am pretty clear that they will have to choose somebody internally and if one looks at the current lot of people, there seems to be only one person who can take that job and that is Chandra, somebody who is young, dynamic, 53-54 years of age, has really brought glory to the Tata Empire, is 60% of the market cap and is a global manager because his business is global.

ET Now: And he has been groomed over the years.Harsh Goenka: And he has been groomed over the years. I personally believe that we will have Chandra who will probably come in as the CEO of the group. There could be a dark horse who comes in as a chairman.

ET Now: When there is a shock exit right at the top of India’s most respected and trusted conglomerate and there seems to be no clear sign yet of a resolution in the short term, what are the ripple effects that it can have on rest of India Inc? You also lead a conglomerate which has listed unit under it, what is your take on the unexpected turn of events at the Tata Group?Harsh Goenka: Well I have not felt an earthquake of such Richter scale in India Incorporated. The Tatas are such a well reputed group and the Tata brand stands for ethics, values, elegance, grace, integrity and a bold vision. Somehow I believe that the matter has not been handled with the same elegance and grace which is known as the Tata way of management. That has been somewhat disappointing because one is also not sure of the reasons behind it.

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“There will be a new brand identity — work has started on it,” a senior consultant working on the merged company’s new identity said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements.